OTTAWA -- Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be unveiling Canada鈥檚 retaliatory measures in response to the United States鈥� tariffs on Canadian aluminum on Tuesday, 麻豆影视 has learned.
U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a 10-per-cent tariff on raw aluminum from Canada on Aug. 16 despite condemnation from aluminum organizations on both sides of the border.
As soon as Trump said the new tariffs were coming, Canadian officials said they planned to hit back with $3.6 billion in retaliatory countermeasures once the industry was consulted on a broad list of potential products to slap tariffs on.
Speaking about the planned retaliation ahead of Monday鈥檚 cabinet meeting, Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said that Canada鈥檚 approach will be the same as the last time the government hit back against Trump trade action.
Freeland has previously indicated the approach will be how to 鈥渋nflict the minimal amount of damage on Canada, and to have frankly the strongest possible impact in the United States.鈥�
Among the Canada has its sights on:
- Aluminum beverage cans;
- Household items such as tinfoil, pots and scouring pads;
- Construction material such as nails, tacks, staples and screws;
- Appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines; and
- Recreational items like bicycles, golf clubs, playground equipment and tripods.
The consultation period ended on Sept. 6, a month to the day after Trump first revealed his latest trade action plans, and on Tuesday multiple sources say that Freeland will provide the final roster of U.S. aluminum goods being targeted.
The U.S. tariffs on unprocessed aluminum imports from Canada were levelled under Section 232 of the U.S. Trade Expansion Act, which states the imports pose a threat to American national security.
In unveiling the tariffs, Trump accused Canada of 鈥渢aking advantage鈥� of the United States. He claimed that the American aluminum business has been 鈥渄ecimated鈥� by Canada, calling it 鈥渧ery unfair鈥� and accusing Canadian producers of flooding the U.S. with exports.
He also said that the new tariffs are 鈥渁bsolutely necessary,鈥� and pledged he will 鈥渁lways put American workers first鈥� and use all tools at his disposal鈥攊ncluding tariffs鈥攖o do that.
In response, Freeland called the Trump administration 鈥渢he most protectionist administration in U.S. history.鈥�
Freeland called Trump鈥檚 tariffs 鈥渦nnecessary, unwarranted and entirely unacceptable,鈥� and said they are the 鈥渓ast thing anyone needs鈥� right now given the current state of the economy amid COVID-19.
Using this trade law as justification for the tariffs has also been roundly criticized by experts, who have said the move is just as wrong as it was when it was tried by Trump in 2018.
Trump hit Canada with steel and aluminum tariffs in May 2018, during negotiations for the new NAFTA deal. The tariffs remained in place for a year, during which time Canada reciprocated with dollar-for-dollar countermeasures on American steel, aluminum, as well as levelling a surtax on other goods, including coffee, prepared meals, pizza, chocolate, condiments, toiletries, beer kegs, whiskeys, various household items, and motorboats.
A year later, Canada and the U.S. issued a joint statement announcing a decision to lift the tariffs, confirming that the two nations also agreed to terminate World Trade Organization litigation Canada launched after slamming the U.S. tariffs as "punitive" and "an affront" to Canada-U.S. relations.
The new NAFTA came into effect on July 1, meaning this latest American trade action came just over a month into the new deal.
With files from 麻豆影视鈥� Michel Boyer, Interactive by Mahima Singh
